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PGA Tour: WM Phoenix Open Preview

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SCOTTSDALE – The WM Phoenix Open is the 15th event of the 2022-23 PGA Tour season and second designated event, featuring 22 of the Top 25 players in the Official World Golf Ranking (37 of top 50), nine of the Top 10 players in the FedEx Cup standings (all but Justin Rose) and 11 of the 12 players that have won on Tour this season (all but Rose).

The field was expanded from the original size of 132 players to 134 to include the entire Top 125 category of the priority ranking. The last man in the field is Kelly Kraft, who finished No. 125 in the 2021-22 FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List.

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler earned his first career PGA Tour victory at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open and went on to win the Jack Nicklaus Award as PGA Tour Player of the Year. Scheffler is the reigning champion of four PGA Tour events over the next nine weeks (WM Phoenix Open, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, Masters Tournament) and won those titles in a span of six starts during the 2021-22 season. Scheffler’s scoring average at the WM Phoenix Open is 67.80, tied with Xander Schauffele for the second-lowest among any player (minimum of 10 rounds) since the event moved to TPC Scottsdale in 1987.

Rory McIlroy is making his second start of the season and first since winning THE CJ Cup in South Carolina. The last player to win each of his first two starts of the season was Tiger Woods in 2008.

McIlroy has won in each of his last two starts on the PGA Tour (2022 Tour Championship, 2022 CJ Cup in South Carolina). The last player to win in three consecutive starts was the LIV’s Dustin Johnson in 2016-17. McIlroy accomplished the feat during the 2013-14 season.

Waste Management Phoenix Open | Tournament Facts

COURSE: TPC Scottsdale, Arizona (Stadium Course)

YARDS/PAR: 7,261 yards/Par 71

ARCHITECTS: Tom Weiskopf \ Jay Morrish

PRIZE Money – Purse: $20,000,000/$3,600,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Scottie Scheffler

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST CHAMPIONS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 500

A Sunday Without Pro Golf?

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La JOLLA – It’s certainly a bit strange not having a golf tournament to watch on a winter Sunday afternoon, especially when it brings the pristine weather of San Diego, California. That is the case today as the Farmer’s Insurance Open is in the books and Max Homa enjoys the spoils after he came from five strokes back to win his sixth PGA Tour title and fourth in his native state California. Homa’s last five wins have been in come-from-behind fashion.

Keegan Bradley (2nd) became the first player on Tour this season to record a win and runner-up.

After holding at least a share of the lead each of the first three rounds, Sam Ryder faded and finished T-4 while FedEx Cup leader Jon Rahm (T-7) earned his fourth Top-10 in four starts to begin the 2023 portion of the PGA Tour season.

Defending champion Luke List finished T-25. The last player to win consecutive Farmers Insurance Open tournaments was Tiger Woods (2005-08).

Farmer’s Insurance Open | Final Leaderboard

Max Homa 68-70-71-66—275 (-13) NC-SC

Keegan Bradley 70-73-68-66—277 (-11) SC-NC

Collin Morikawa 67-72-70-69—278 (-10) NC-SC

Sahith Theegala 66-72-71-70—279 (-9) NC-SC

Sungjae Im 68-74-67-70—279 (-9) SC-NC

Sam Ryder 64-68-72-75—279 (-9) NC-SC

Full Leaderboard: (link)

Ryder Holds Narrow Lead Over Rahm

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By TERRY LYONS

La JOLLA – In search of his first PGA TOUR title, Sam Ryder made par on his final 12 holes and holds the 54-hole lead/co-lead for the first time in his career, in his 147th PGA Tour start.

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FedExCup leader Jon Rahm posted a sizzling (66) and is seeking his third win on the 2023 PGA Tour calendar. With a win, Rahm would return to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time since March 2022 and will still have a chance with a runner-up or solo third finish today.

Tony Finau carded a (64) for the low round of the tournament on the South Course and can join Rahm as the second multiple winner of the 2022-23 season.

Rahm and Finau both sat T-116 (1-over) after 73s on the South Course in R-1.

Farmer’s Insurance Open | 54-Hole Leaderboard

Sam Ryder 64-68-72—204 (-12) NC-SC

Jon Rahm 73-67-66—206 (-10) SC-NC

Tony Finau 73-71-64—208 (-8) SC-NC

Sungjae Im 68-74-67—209 (-7) SC-NC

Collin Morikawa 67-72-70—209 (-7) NC-SC

Max Homa 68-70-71—209 (-7) NC-SC

Sahith Theegala 66-72-71—209 (-7) NC-SC

McIlroy, Rahm in Familiar Places

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RIDGEWOOD (SC) – Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy made two eagles and carded his second consecutive (67) to take the 17th career 54-hole lead/co-lead of his career. In today’s final round, McIlroy will attempt to reclaim World No. 1 and earn the second successful title defense of his career.

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McIlroy looks to join Tiger Woods (2008 Farmers Insurance Open) as the only reigning FedExCup champion to win his season debut.

It won’t come easy as Spain’s Jon Rahm birdied three of his final seven holes and sits one stroke back of McIlroy along with two other golfers. K.H. Lee is attempting to become first player from Korea to win The CJ CUP and with two career runner-up finishes, Kurt Kitayama is trying to claim his first Tour title. Both join Rahm at (-12), one off the lead.

Leaderboard After 54 Holes

Rory McIlroy 66-67-67—200 (-13)

K.H. Lee 68-67-66—201 (-12)

Kurt Kitayama 66-65-70—201 (-12)

Jon Rahm 69-62-70—201 (-12)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

Rahm Shoots (62), Shares Lead at CJ

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RIDGEWOOD (SC) – Jon Rahm of Spain set the course-record (62) at Congaree Golf Club and holds 36-hole lead/co-lead for seventh time in his career. Making first start of 2022-23 season, Rahm shot a 9-under and holed 10 birdies before making bogey at No. 18.

Kurt Kitayama earned his first career 36-hole lead/co-lead on Tour and now seeks his maiden PGA Tour victory.

Defending champion Rory McIlroy is two shots back in search of the second successful title defense of his career. Following a 1-over (37) on the front nine, McIlroy (5th/-9) closed with a 5-under 30 for 67. He leads the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (3.614) after 36 holes. The other title defense in his career was at the 2022 RBC Canadian Open.

Australian Cam Davis (T3/-10) recorded six birdies in R-2, including four in his last seven holes, for his second consecutive (66). He owns 10 Top-10 finishes in 104 career Tour starts including one victory coming at the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Leaderboard After 36 Holes

Kurt Kitayama 66-65–131 (-11)

Jon Rahm 69-62–131 (-11)

Cam Davis 66-66–132 (-10)

Aaron Wise 66-66–132 (-10)

Rory McIlroy 66-67–133 (-9)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

Mullinex, Woodland Lead at CJ Cup

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RIDGEWOOD (SC) – In first-round action at The CJ Cup, Trey Mullinax earned his third career 18-hole lead/co-lead on Tour with an opening 6-under (65) while Gary Woodland birdied his final two holes to share the lead in search of his first Top-10 since the 2022 U.S. Open.

Rory McIlroy opened his 2022-23 season with a bogey-free (66) and is seeking the second successful title defense of his career. Playing together for the first time on Tour, McIlroy and Tom Kim combined to shoot 10-under and sit T-3.

Of the 13 Korean players in the field, Tom Kim sits highest on the leaderboard after 18 holes.

Congaree Golf club has hosted one other PGA TOUR event, the 2021 Palmetto Championship at Congaree, won by Garrick Higgo (not in the field this weekend). Of the 19 players in this week’s field who competed at Congaree in 2021, Tyrrell Hatton, Sungjae Im and Seamus Power all shot (67) and sit T-9. Hatton, Im and Power finished T-2, T-35 and T-19, respectively, at the 2021 Palmetto Championship.

Leaderboard After 18 Holes

Trey Mullinax 65 (-6)

Gary Woodland – 65 (-6)

Aaron Wise – 66 (-5)

Wyndham Clark – 66 (-5)

Tom Kim – 66 (-5)

Rory McIlroy – 66 (-5)

Cam Davis – 66 (-5)

Kurt Kitayama – 66 (-5)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

PGA Tour Sports Desk: CJ Cup

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RIDGELAND, South Carolina – At 8:15am (ET) this morning, 21 of the top 30 golfers in the Official World Golf Rankings will tee-it-up at The CJ Cup in South Carolina. The venue, the Congaree Golf Club, will be the fourth golf course to host the event, the third in the United States. From 2017-to-2019, the event was played at Nine Bridges in South Korea. In the USA, the location was at Shadow Creek (2020) and Summit Club (2021) in Las Vegas.

There are 13 players (second most of tournament) from Korea playing this week, including Sungjae Im and Tom Kim, two frequent residents of the PGA Tour’s leaderboards. The USA has 45 players competing and England – third most this week – has four golfers.

Reigning FedEx Cup and 2021 CJ Cup champion Rory McIlroy is making his debut since winning at the TOUR Championship in August. Jon Rahm of Spain is making his season debut as well. Rahm finished T-5th in the 2021-22 FedEx Cup standings.

Rickie Fowler, who finished as runner-up last weekend at the ZOZO Championship in Japan, now has two Top 10s in three starts this Fall. Fowler finished T-3 in the 2021 CJ Cup as he makes his 300th start on Tour today. Keegan Bradley won the ZOZO last weekend.

The CJ Cup in South Carolina | Tournament Facts

COURSE: Congaree Golf Club, Ridgewood, South Carolina

YARDS/PAR: 7,655 yards/Par 71

ARCHITECT: Tom Fazio (2018)

PRIZE Money – Purse: $10,500,000/$1,890,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Rory McIlroy

PAST HISTORY: (link)

PAST RESULTS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 500

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup

PGA Tour Battling vs. LIV Golf

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BOLTON – As the LIV Golf players teed-off in the third and final round shotgun start Sunday in the western suburbs of Boston, the PGA Tour tossed another major hurdle at the players, via a memo leaked to Sports Illustrated and reported by SI and FOX News.

“The Tour cannot enter into a membership agreement with a player when, as here, it reasonably anticipates the player will not perform the material obligations under that agreement,” said the letter to former PGA Tour pros now on the LIV Tour. “Accordingly, your PGA Tour membership cannot and will not be renewed for the 2022-2023 PGA Tour season.”

Taylor Gooch (-12), Joaquin Nieman (-11) and Dustin Johnson (-10) were busy competing for a $4 million/ $2.125 million or $1.5 million first through third prize at The International, a course set in the woods of Worcester County, Massachusetts – about 45 miles from where the PGA Tour used to play the DeutschBank Championship – a round of its FedEx Playoffs – every Labor Day weekend.

The LIV Golf venture joined an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour that was initially filed by select LIV golfers such as Pat Perez, Carlos Oritiz, Abraham Ancer and Jason Kokrak were among the players filing who dropped their lawsuits against the PGA Tour. Outspoken veteran PGA Tour pro Phil Mickelson was among those that first filed suit in August, claiming suspensions from the Tour were aimed at hurting their careers.

Others pro golfers filed temporary restraining orders to compete in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, claiming they qualified for the PGA Tour postseason playoffs prior to joining LIV Golf. A federal judge in California denied that injunction.

Rory McIlroy Wins FedEx Cup (Again)

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ATLANTA – Rory McIlroy wins AGAIN!

McIlroy became the first player to win the FedEx Cup three times as he took the 2022 TOUR Championship for his 22nd career title. Amazingly, McIlroy began the day six strokes back and stormed back on his final 18 holes which marked the largest final-round comeback in TOUR Championship history.

No. 1 seed Scottie Scheffler tied a TOUR record for largest lead lost with 18 holes left to play (6) and became only the second No. 1 seed not to go on to win the FedEx Cup (in fourth year of Starting Strokes format), the other being Justin Thomas in 2019.

South Korea’s Sungjae Im (T-2) recorded the best finish in FedEx Cup history by a player from Asia.

Max Homa (T-5) recorded the best finish among nine first-time participants in the field.

TOUR Championship | Final Leaderboard

Rory Mcllroy -4 67-67-63-66 (-17) -21

Sungjae Im -4 67-65-66-66 (-16) -20

Scottie Scheffler -10 65-66-66-73 (-10) -20

Xander Schauffele -6 66-63-70-69 (-12) -18

Max Homa -2 71-62-66-66 (-15) -17

Justin Thomas -3 67-68-63-68 (-14) -17

Drama Builds at TOUR Championship

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ATLANTA – FedEx Cup leader Scottie Scheffler carded his fifth round of (66) or better in his 10th round at East Lake Golf Club as the No. 1 seed is attempting to win and match each of the last two year’s winners in (Dustin Johnson/2020, Patrick Cantlay/2021)

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However, it will not be an easy run for Scheffler as Xander Schauffele shot (63) for his lowest career round at East Lake Golf Club, highlighted by a closing eagle on the par-5 18th hole. Xander is two back.

Jon Rahm added a (63) of his own in search of his fourth Top-5 finish in the FedEx Cup in six seasons.

Max Homa’s (62) marked the lowest round at the TOUR Championship since 2007.

TOUR Championship | Leaderboard After 36 Holes

1 Scottie Scheffler -10 65-66 (-9) -19

2 Xander Schauffele -6 66-63 (-11) -17

3 Jon Rahm -3 67-63 (-10) -13

T-4 Patrick Cantlay -8 70-66 (-4) -12

T-4 Sungjae Im -4 67-65 (-8) -12